Normal
by MoonlitSky321
Summary: Every half-blood craved normality to certain degrees. Some wanted it more than others. And in this case, Annabeth was sure Percy craved it more than the whole camp combined. One-shot! Enjoy!


_**Note:**Hey, people! :D So this is my first try at the Percy Jackson world! I just recently finished reading the stories! It's amazing! And this one shot has been in my mind for a while. It takes place after The Last Olympian but the best underwater kiss did not happen nor did the cute conversation that led to it! So, I hope you enjoy it! :D_**  
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_On with the story...  
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_**Normal**_

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She had expected everything to go smoothly from now on. And no one can blame her for thinking it would—no one can call her delusional for thinking it. After all, she deserved it. She may not have been the child of the prophecy; she may not have been the one who had to worry constantly about how she could die any minute; she may have not been the one who carried the fate of Olympus on her shoulders—although, she probably knew how that felt considering she _did_ hold the sky once; the silver streaks in her hair was proof enough—but she had had her own burden to hold.

She had to constantly think about keeping everyone as healthy and alive as possible. She had to stay strong; she had to keep her head—even when the thought of fighting someone she had always felt that he was her family hurt. She had to constantly worry about her friends, about Luke, about Grover, and—and about Percy.

So, even though Percy Jackson had a lot on his mind the last couple of days, and was probably the most deserving of them for a rest and for everything to go smoothly—normally—she was probably the one who was more stressed out. She blamed it on her logical mind—it kept her awake; it kept her thinking; it kept turning and whirling its wheels to the early hours of the morning.

But now, it was done.

No more prophecy.

No more Kronos.

No more war.

No more…Luke.

It still stung a great deal when she would think about the sandy haired young man who had always been there for her she was seven, before he decided to cross the thin line separating good and evil. But that was all in the past now, and she was sure he had finally found peace.

However, she couldn't find peace. Although she was back to her safe haven—Camp Half-Blood—walking around the strawberry fields and smelling the ever sweet fragrance from the berries, she felt as far away from home and peace as she could.

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, could not, for the life of her, understand why she felt so isolated and depressed. She was supposed to rejoice with the rest of the campers. She was supposed to be happy that it was over.

Actually, she _was_ happy it was over. She was ecstatic even that Percy was alive, well, and healthy. And that, right there, was the thing that was depressing her the most.

_Percy._

Well, not Percy as in the _person_. No, Percy as in the _subject_.

Where did they stand right now? Now that the war was over and nothing was dangling over their heads, can she come out and say what she actually thought? Oh, Hades knows how much she wanted to just tell him and get over it. But could she really?

Annabeth wasn't exactly sure what was holding her back—they were simply three words, or moreover, a simple action that she had performed once before—but it seemed so hard now that she knew that they were safe, and she wasn't running away anytime soon.

But was she sure _he_ wasn't running away? With Percy Jackson, you never know. Because you never know when the ocean will decide to pick up its tides and channel them the other way. You never know whether the current will flow with you or against you. And if anything, the son of Poseidon was the ocean itself.

Annabeth walked towards the Big House in soft, measured steps. She had some things to discuss with Chiron about the incoming Greek Mythology class for the new comers at camp. Ever since Chiron has given her the position to be the teacher, she has fallen in love with it; she adored teaching the new kids all about mythology.

She pushed open the door of the house and entered. She stopped, surprised to find Chiron nowhere in sight and instead, Rachel Elizabeth Dare sitting on one of the many couches scattered around the room.

Annabeth's stomach turned uncomfortably.

Although the redhead was the new Oracle, Annabeth still felt a little uneasy with the girl. If Annabeth was honest with herself, she would admit that she was jealous of the mortal, but, well, a child of Athena was too prideful to admit to such irrelevant emotions such as jealous.

And so, Annabeth walked up to Rachel, looking down at her sitting form, "Have you seen Chiron?"

Rachel looked up. "He said that you should wait for him; he has gone to help some new comers with their swordsmen class."

Annabeth nodded, sitting down as well.

A tense silence descended on the two girls, each other them looking in opposite directions.

Finally, Rachel Elizabeth Dare sighed, "Annabeth, we need to resolve this."

Annabeth played confused. "Excuse me?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow, evidently not buying Annabeth's act. "You know exactly what I am talking about. But since you want to play confused, I'll be honest. I like Percy."

Annabeth carefully hid her wince. "And…?"

"And that bothers you."

Stormy grey eyes glared at the redhead. "How would you know _that_?"

"Because it's obvious. And even a blind person can _feel_ it." Rachel shrugged. "And I know how you feel about him."

Annabeth stared at Rachel. "Doesn't it bother _you_?"

"No, it does not," Rachel answered, matter-of-factly. "Because you won't act on them, and I know why."

Annabeth stood, angered. "You're very confident, aren't you?"

Rachel smiled. "You do not provide the normalcy that Percy is looking for." Annabeth paused, eyes wide. "You can't be normal, and that is something you can't give him. I, on the other hand, am normal. I can give him that normalcy. He won't have to think about monsters, and quests, and all the other stuff that demigods think about constantly. Even if I am the Oracle, it doesn't matter. All I ever do is give out prophecies, and that's nothing compared to fighting monsters. I can give him rest."

Her green eyes connected with Annabeth's grey ones, and they held. "Can you?"

Before Annabeth could reply, before her brain could process Rachel's words, Chiron's hooves pounded on the floor, startling her.

"Ah, Annabeth, I am sorry to have made you wait, child."

"It's all right, Chiron," Annabeth muttered, meeting his eyes naturally. "I didn't wait long."

Chiron glanced uneasily between the two girls, noticing the tension. "Good. So, shall we?"

Annabeth nodded, and followed Chiron into his room.

-.-

Every half-blood craved normality to certain degrees. Some wanted it more than others. And in this case, Annabeth was sure Percy craved it more than the whole camp combined. Not that she could blame him, mind you. He deserved it after everything. From the moment he had stepped foot on the camp ground, his life turned a 180 degree, and not to the best.

He, unlike most demigods, had the greatest responsibility of all—being the child of the prophecy and all. And Annabeth understood that. And she tried to share the burden as much as she could. She was there every step of the way, never doubting him. After all, Percy was her best friend at the end of the road.

She sighed, leaning against the huge tree bark, staring out into the infinite blue ocean. The waves slapped the shore playfully, dancing their way around the small pebbles scattered along the beach. The salty wind was refreshing against her cheek as she closed the book she was reading and laid it gently on her lap.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly.

As much as she hated to admit it, Rachel Elizabeth Dare was right. Annabeth Chase can never provide the normality that Percy sought. She would only make him think. She would only make him remember.

"Hey…"

Diverting her gaze from the blue ocean to the green-sea eyes, she blinked. "What happened to you?"

He looked down where her gaze had lingered—at the cut that was leaking blood an hour ago and that still looked very raw. He sighed.

"Nico was being exceptionally aggressive today," he offered an explanation as Annabeth rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket, taking out a folded napkin. "We were just showing the new comers some sword moves."

"I am sure you were, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, breaking the ambrosia that lay on the napkin and offered it to him. He plopped down beside her, taking the food gratefully, and began munching it.

She lay back against the tree, and opened her book. Her eyes traveled the words slowly, completely aware of Percy's presence beside her. Before long, she was startled as a weight rested on her lap.

She looked down and found Percy smiling sheepishly, his head nestled comfortably on her lap. "Do you mind…?"

She bit her lip to hide her smile, shook her head, and began reading again. She heard Percy sigh contently. They stayed there for the longest time, simply enjoying the quiet, the salty breeze, and the sounds of the crashing waves.

Annabeth wasn't exactly sure when it happened, but half-way through, she found her free hand running through Percy's black hair. When she realized what she was doing, she chanced at glance at him, but his eyes were closed and a small smile played against his lips.

Annabeth decided he did not mind, and continued stroking his hair, feeling it's softness and messing it even more. She stroke the white streaks of hair on his head—identical to her own. A painful reminder…

The sun was slowly sinking beyond the horizon, painting the once royal blue sky streaks of pink, orange, and yellow. The ocean's surface had a long orange carpet that stretched from the sun to where Annabeth and Percy lay. Annabeth laid her book beside her, and looked out towards the growing dusk.

"What's on your mind?" Percy whispered, watching her intently.

She kept her eyes carefully on the setting sun. "The past couple of months. It's over now. It just feels all surreal, you know?"

He nodded slowly.

She looked down at him, smiling lightly. "Maybe it's time for you to do something normal. You deserve it, after all."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Annabeth looked back at the sunset, feigning thoughtfulness. "Well, school is something that is necessary, and it isn't exactly normal if monsters attack." Percy rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Hmmm, I guess you are normal enough with your mother and Paul—I know! You need to date!"

What in Hades did she just say? Annabeth groaned internally. She might be the daughter of Athena and all, but she sure doesn't know what she's saying when Percy Jackson was around.

Percy's eyebrow's shot up. "Huh?"

And she answered, although her mind was screaming at her to shut up. "Well, dating is a perfectly normal thing, isn't it? Especially to you boys." She sent him a sly look and cherished the blush that covered his cheeks. "So, let's see who's the most compatible with you."

And she went into a tangent naming girls Percy hasn't even seen. Some he recognized. He shuddered as she said Clarisse and Annabeth laughed at his expression.

"How about Thalia?"

"She's my cousin!" Percy exclaimed, shuddering. "No!"

Annabeth chuckled. "Okay. So you don't like giggly girls, tough girls, and murderous girls. Anyone in particular?"

For one horrible moment, her stomach clenched. What if he said Rachel's name? What if he said any name that wasn't hers? What was she going to do?

"Well," Percy said slowly, eyeing her intently. "I prefer smart girls."

She blinked. "Smart girls?"

"Yes." he nodded. "Preferably with grey eyes and a passion for architecture."

Annabeth's breathing hitched. Her hand slid away from his hair as he sat up, still staring at her eyes, but this time, the fire was evident in his sea-green eyes. The sun was sinking lower; the twilight was surfacing.

"Oh…" she breathed.

Oh? Is that the best she could get out?

Percy smiled slightly. His hand brushed down the length of her arm and intertwined with her hand, their fingers threading comfortably together. His hand felt normal in hers—it was in place. Like a puzzle that finally found its other half.

And as Percy leaned into her, and she closed her eyes, she realized something important.

_This_ was normal.

Right here, in this moment, in the camp they both knew as home, in the place where they both knew they belonged, in this life—their lives as demigods—on this beach in front of the infinite blue ocean: _it was normal._

And they wouldn't have it any other way.

_**The End!**_:D

_**Note:**_ _So, what do you think? :) Your opinion matters the most! Please review! :D_

_Till next time!  
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_Take care :)  
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